Holding a newborn cousin is a strange reminder that you were once that small and someone handled you that carefully.

Holding a newborn makes the arithmetic personal. You were that size and that unable to do anything, and somebody carried you around with exactly that much care for years, none of which you remember. All of it happened on your behalf before you could register it or thank anyone. The debt is unusual in that it can never really be itemised.

If you get the chance, hold the baby rather than passing when it is offered. Then ask your parents what you were like at that age. What they remember will tell you a lot about those years.